Reviews

Fabulous trip. Expedition is the way to enjoy the out of doors

What an amazing trip. The sights were stunning. The hikes had variety. The pace of the trip was perfect. The food was great/varied. The staff was so helpful, educated and engaging. Highly recommend as a first timer to Greenland.

This year I had been injured in an accident and hospitalized during March this year. It took a lot of time and effort to start walking again and be able to do some serious hiking. I had been on previous Oceanwide Expeditions trips and decided to book the Greenland trip to Scoresbysund in september. It turned out to be my best trip ever. To start with the ship itself and the crew. You might think this is an old and battered ship. It is not. All cabins are neat and nicely outfitted. The ship itself is sturdy and very suitable to navigate the Polar regions. Not too small, not too big. The captain and officers are very experienced. The deckhands do an excellent professional job. They are approachable and friendly. The expedition staff was amazing. Very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The hotel management and stewards trying to do their utmost to serve you as best they can. We were lucky to have very nice weather with blue skies offering fine photo and video opportunities. We saw a lot of wildlife, four polar bears, several polar fixed, whales, seals, musk oxen, arctic hares, and various birds. On various nights we had fabulous Northern Light sightings. I can still hear the crackling of the ice, the calving of ice sheets from the glacier, the tumbling of the small icebergs, the looming big icebergs while we were driving by in our zodiacs. The landscapes were amazing, red mountains, stark black mountains covered with snow and ice, immense tundra plains with scattered skeletons of musk oxen. We also visited Ittoqqortoormiit, an Inuit settlement. School was out and all the children waving at you. No harbour so the landing was with the zodiacs. But the thing that stroke me the most was the absolute serenity of the long hikes and the kayaking. Being in touch with the landscape. That was the lifestyle experience I was looking for. I will be back. Thank you Oceanwide for a memorable experience.

Second trip with Oceanwide (first was Antartica in Feb 2023). Spotless organization. Great staff and crew. Various offshore activities to choose according to own’s abilities. Staff and guides very professional, available at any time, worked around the clock to maximize the experience on and off-shore. Services on board (restaurants, facilities) very good. Excellent food.

It was a wonderful trip on a wonderful ship with an even more wonderful crew! "Chapeau" to the whole crew! I've learned so much about Plancton and saw it's intricate beauty under the microscope (thanks Chloé! And sorry Andrew: birds from now on come 2nd...😉) Lots of landings and Zodiac cruises brought us close to the amazing nature. I can highly recommend this voyage on Hondius into Antarctica!

everything wonderfull! Please, in emergency, don't kill polar bears. Change option!

Molto bella

Fantastische Reise mit vielfältigen Eindrücken: Moschusochsen, Eisbären, Schneehasen und Polarfuchs sowie unglaubliche Landschaften täglich aufs Neue. Eine aufmerksame Crew und kompetente Führer ließen keine Wünsche offen. Besonders spannend waren die Vorträge zu unterschiedlichen Themen. Das Essen war hervorragend. Danke für die wunderbare Reise.

This expedition enabled us to visit places which really (really!) are off the beaten track with a very professional set of guides. The trip ran like clockwork, which implies that a great deal of preparation had gone into the planning behind the scenes. In addition, all the members of the expedition team, as well as the crew of the Plancius were friendly and interesting to talk to. To be clear, such a voyage is to be avoided by those who want to sit in the sun by a swimming pool, but for those who are sufficiently adventurous it is a an experience not to be missed.

Es war perfekt organisiert. Tolle Teams (Expeditionen, Küche und Service). Nicht optimal war, dass die Landausflüge für alle gleich lang dauerten, egal ob medium oder leisure hikers. Alle mussten gleich lang auf die Zodiacs für die Rückfahrten warten.

Meine Erwartungen wurden übertroffen! Da ich auf der Plancius letztes Jahr schon in der Antarktis war, war meine Ankunft auf dem Schiff wie ein "Nachhausekommen". Vom Küchenschef Kabir bis zur Barfrau Raquel, wurde ich wieder erkannt. Ali machte wieder die Expeditionsleitung und erfreute mich jden Morgen mit ihrem freundlichen Weckruf. Der Kapitän Evgeny ermöglichte uns wieder wunderschöne Anlandungen.

服务热情 氛围很好 探险队很专业

We sailed from Longyearbyen Svalbard to Akureyri Iceland from August 25 to September 7, 2024. Weather conditions were arctic as expected and an enjoyable recreation from the excessive summer heat at home. We had good visibility on most days so we could do most of the landings and zodiac cruises as planned. When changes were necessary the expedition team and crew always found great alternatives. The whole crew and expedition team did an outstanding job on making this an enjoyable and memorable experience for everyone. Short, medium and long hikes through the beautiful landscape of Greenland were offered daily. We usually chose the medium hikes which took 3 to 4 hours at moderate peace leaving room to take lots of photos. The lectures offered on board of the ship were all really informative and inspiring. Last but not least the kitchen on board was really excellent and the service top notch. I highly recommend Oceanwide expetions for all seeking a bit more activity, fun and adventure compared to standard ship cruises.

First, we love this ship and the scenery was amazing. However, we weren’t aware that the only way to really have an opportunity to see any wildlife was to do the long hiking. (I did medium and a few shorts) We thought it would be more like Antarctica, where we had the option to hike/snowshoe or stroll the landing area and still see wildlife. My husband is not a walker, so this trip was quite frustrating for him (and therefore me as well). I don’t remember seeing anything in the write up advising of this fact. The only other issue we had was the passenger make-up. The ship had a majority of Chinese passengers. The cultural differences were hard and were discussed repeatedly among European & N. American passengers. Hearing lectures was difficult- loud chatting was constant in lecture room. Zodiac trips were painful- spending tons of time at each iceberg for multiple selfies to be taken. Lots of loud talking so hard to hear sounds of ice, birds, etc. None of this ruined the trip, but it was frustrating.

Our cruise was wonderful. It was our second time around Svalbard, both of them with Plancius. We deliberately chose the same vessel because we really enjoyed our first experience : crew, meals, expedition guides, rooms...We had a superior room, more expensive but the best choice if you can afford it. This year we had the surprise of 100% - different crew and expedition team, and they were perfect : a good sign that proves that Oceanwide is a great company. About the cruise itself : in August we had some kind of automnal weather, July may be a better fit for sunny conditions. The principle of daily landings and zodiac cruises corresponds to our expectations. In a nutshell we built additional unforgettable memories.